Volkssternwarte Cologne
The Volkssternwarte Köln is a voluntarily operated observatory in the Cologne-Sülz district , which is part of the Cologne-Lindenthal district. It is located on the roof of the local Schiller-Gymnasium at Nikolausstrasse 55.
history
In 1922 the "Vereinigung der Sternfreunde Köln" was founded to make astronomy accessible to a broader public. In 1935 an observatory was built on the roof of a school on the “Great Greek Market”, but it was destroyed during the Second World War.
In 1962 the association took over a new public observatory on the roof of the newly built Schiller-Gymnasium in Cologne-Sülz. In 1967 the city of Cologne made a further DM 30,000 available for the purchase of a powerful telescope. The city's cultural office supported the work of the association with an annual grant of DM 1,000. However, this grant was canceled in the early 1980s as part of general austerity measures. Since then, the operation of the public observatory has been financed from membership fees, entrance fees and private donations.
In 2012, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Volkssternwarte, the 45-year-old Wachter- Coudé refractor was replaced by a 60 cm reflector telescope , which could be financed purely by donations from committed citizens.
activities
The Volkssternwarte Köln regularly conducts public tours during which the moon , planets and other celestial objects are observed. In addition, astronomical lectures with multimedia support are given. In addition, special tours for groups are offered by appointment. The current program and contact addresses for special tours can be found on the observatory's website.
In addition to the dissemination of astronomical knowledge to the public, another goal of the association is the training and further education of active amateur astronomers, for whom the instruments of the public observatory are available for the member events.
The numerous areas in which members have successfully operated since the new Volkssternwarte was founded include:
- Mount construction
- Ephemeris calculation and programming
- Micrometer photo evaluations and orbital calculations of minor planets
- Astrophotography (formerly with various, also "hyped" films , now practically only with digital cameras )
- Variable measurement (previously mainly light curves , only filtered according to UBV , for some time now also high-resolution spectroscopy )
- Development and construction of astronomical accessories and electronic devices
- Mirror grinding
- Optics test , optimization and telescope design
- Image processing , for example with Giotto and Registax
Instruments
For 45 years the main instrument of the Volkssternwarte Köln was a refractor with a Coudé beam path from the company Wachter with a 22.5 centimeter aperture and a focal length of three meters. In 2012 it was replaced by a 60 cm reflector telescope. The temporarily decommissioned Coudé telescope has meanwhile been sold and was installed again in 2017 in the restored observatory tower of the Remplin observatory .
In 2017, a new refractor for solar observation was also put into service. In addition, a 20-centimeter can if necessary Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a Goto - Mount and other smaller telescopes for observation are used.
A 14-inch telescope from Celestron, a flat-field camera from Lichtenknecker and a telescope from Aries are also available in a remote station in Bergisches Land .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Volkssternwarte Köln with 600mm mirror. In: ablebnis-astronomie.de. October 12, 2012, accessed November 16, 2017 .
- ↑ Cologne star friends with a new telescope. October 10, 2012, accessed March 19, 2018 .
- ↑ New instrument for Germany's oldest observatory building. Retrieved March 23, 2018 .
- ↑ A little closer to our star (sun). Retrieved March 19, 2018 .
Coordinates: 50 ° 55 ′ 23.2 " N , 6 ° 55 ′ 49.1" E